If You Can't Communicate, You Can't Thrive

When was the last time you took an effective communications course? Seminar? Read a 3.5 paragraph article on how to get your message through? Let me guess... That basic Public Speaking class you slept through in high school? 5? 10? 20 years ago?


Would you like to do better at what you do? In my experience the vast majority of problems people face - at home, at work, with that traffic cop who stopped you for speeding last week - hinge on your ability to send and receive a clear message.


Options? Keep in mind that, in today's seriously bazaar job market, this single facet of your capabilities could easily make or break your career. Invest some time, even a tiny amount, learning how to communicate more effectively. Then, (you KNEW I'd throw in a difficult caveat, didn't you?) actually practice USING what you learned.


I guarantee your life will change!

Customer Service is About Your Attitude Towards Other People

Not long ago, I purchased a "magnetic" bracelet from TGW.com. The product was touted as being of high quality and the price matched the hype. In less than three months the micro-welds on two of the bracelet links broke and I nearly lost the product. (On the advice of a jeweler I eventually used automotive "Lock Nut" to make shaky repairs. But why was I patching this product?)

I sent a very friendly note to TGW.com about what I considered either a defect or poor workmanship. I received no answer so I sent a note to the company that manufactured the bracelet. No answer.

Why is this germane to this blog series? Because neither company apparently gave a "diddly squat" about this particular consumer. It would have taken a single employee less than five minutes to (at the very least) apologize for my problems. Since I received no answer, I can only believe that once the money has changed hands these folks move on to the next buck, the next prospect - leaving a potentially valuable customer hanging.

I can understand how a company can become busy and even possibly miss out on some simple customer issues as this. I am not angry at these companies - They are only doing big company "things." However, they have permanently lost both a customer and a potential repeat buyer.

Is this your idea of quality customer care? How about your idea of simple courtesy? In business, or in life in general, there is no essential difference between these two critical human concepts. You either care about your ethics and attitude - and they apply to personal as well as business relationships - or you don't.

I personally spend countless hours doing my best to provide value to the people who I encounter. It doesn't matter whether they spend money with my company or not - my goal is to do my best to help them solve problems and live a better life. I'm not always successful - in fact, over the years I have had some sheer whoppers of "dumbicity" - but I DO push myself hard to perform. When I screw something up, I bend over backwards to correct the error and do my best not to repeat the mistake. I even go so far as to try and provide others with a recap & lessons learned so they can avoid the same problems - without having to take the lumps.

My company is nowhere near as wealthy or successful as the two mentioned above. Then again, it doesn't need to be. At least I wouldn't want it to be if this is the bottom line reflection of success. Years ago, I built up a pretty good freelance photography business. I did fine but an acquaintance built the same style business in about 1/4 the time and became extremely successful. His secret - the more negative attitude he threw at his customers, the more money they threw at him. Are we (the theoretical "we") doing something a bit backward here or is this a realistic business practice? Sometimes I honestly wonder... (I mean - seriously. This is one of the issues that literally keep me up at night.)

How do you treat others? How do your co-workers treat other businesses? Do you care? Do you take the time to look at where the customer or other individual is really coming from? Do you honestly to try and relate to their needs? Which attitude will help you become more successful? Do your personal ethics end where the corporate door begins? Which do you choose?

Only you can decide...

Want to Learn Something New?

Free Online Knowledge Briefing - April 22nd, 2010

For over ten years, I have commented that we lose way too many of our technology dollars to essentially empty IT spending. Industry studies have consistently backed up my perspectives, with some actually placing losses at more than $10 for every $1 spent. There a plenty of purported solutions to this waste. Unfortunately, very few of them are designed to produce positive ROI without serious additional spending.

On April 22nd, 2010 I'll deliver the first of an online Knowledge Briefing Series covering a wide range of methods any company can use to minimize risks while putting the brakes on wasteful IT spending - without negative impact on your budget or operations.

Tired of the unnecessarily high costs & risks of business technologies? This is your chance to identify the life cycle technology asset management issues that create those problems and to walk through the simple, common sense, and cost effective procedures that you can use to begin saving serious IT dollars.

Each registered participant receives a customized Session Workbook to use in documenting delivered content. We'll add to the Workbook with each new online session we deliver.

Let's conduct a quick cost-benefit analysis...

The Costs?

• It's free...
• The methods are proven,
  
• I'm not selling you anything and,
  
• It's only a single hour out of your day...
  

The Benefits?
Your company could easily begin converting those all-too-frequently negative technology investments to gaining $5 (or more) in value for every $1 you spend.

You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Series intro URL: Minimizing Technology Costs & Risks, April 22.

Session One: Minimizing Exposure to Punitive Software Non Compliance Audits